The Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve is a 47-acre archaeological and nature preserve in north Phoenix. The site features over 1,500 petroglyphs, created between 500 and 5,000 years ago by three cultural traditions: the Western Archaic, the Patayan, and the Ancestral Sonoran Desert People (Hohokam). Each group left its mark as people passed through the area. The Preserve is managed by Arizona State University in partnership with the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, which owns the land and operates a flood control dam on site. Visitors can explore a quarter-mile desert trail that winds past petroglyph-covered boulders and native Sonoran Desert plants.